Actually, I would have to watch video of it happening to see how much of it I would buy. I would expect the compression waves to travel at different rates through different matierials, perhaps even in a concentric pattern radiation out and refracting/reflecting off of various angles to form complicated patterns. I wouldn't be surprised if the first big jolts caused a big ripple of energy, which could possibly travel through the building, popping windows as it went along. And I wouldn't be surprised if the effects of such an energetic jolt's collision wave traveled at a visible rate, therefore creating a succession of windows blowing out in the vicinity of the collision. Such a wave would be seen to travel along the building by it's effects - an air pressure wave would be able to pop windows if it were strong enough, an actual "ripple" (like a giant xylephone chime being struck) traveling down the structure could blow the windows out from stress, and would probably travel farther and faster than air-pressure. The sound waves would also be tremendous. Have you ever used a plastic ice-cube tray? You know how you twist it a little, and all the ice comes right out? The structure of the building is made to be somewhat flexible. The windows are much less flexible. Give that strong, flexible structure punctuated with holes coverd with hard, rigid, fragile stuff, a knock at a harmonic point in it's "chime", and you'll probably be able to pop a number of them fragile things to let-go.
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Date: 2004-09-04 05:00 am (UTC)From:Such a wave would be seen to travel along the building by it's effects - an air pressure wave would be able to pop windows if it were strong enough, an actual "ripple" (like a giant xylephone chime being struck) traveling down the structure could blow the windows out from stress, and would probably travel farther and faster than air-pressure. The sound waves would also be tremendous.
Have you ever used a plastic ice-cube tray? You know how you twist it a little, and all the ice comes right out? The structure of the building is made to be somewhat flexible. The windows are much less flexible. Give that strong, flexible structure punctuated with holes coverd with hard, rigid, fragile stuff, a knock at a harmonic point in it's "chime", and you'll probably be able to pop a number of them fragile things to let-go.